A World Trade Organization panel has once again ruled against the United States’ use of “zeroing” to impose antidumping tariffs on shrimp.
On Friday, the WTO’s Dispute Settlement Body determined that the United States “acted inconsistently” with international trade rules by using the controversial methodology to calculate dumping margins on Chinese shrimp imports.
The body has ruled in favor of other shrimp-exporting countries in the past. Critics say zeroing has resulted in unfairly high tariffs on shrimp and other seafood items. The complaints from China stems from the tariffs the United States slapped on shrimp from six countries, including China, in 2005.
However, in February, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced that it is modifying its methodology of calculating weighted-average dumping margins and antidumping duty assessment rates, effectively discontinuing zeroing.
A Washington, D.C., spokesman told the AFP that the Chinese complaint was “pointless,” since the use zeroing has been phased out.
